Organizations and businesses depend on software deployed throughout their computing infrastructures to perform tasks relevant to their respective fields. As these entities begin using more enterprise software solutions, enterprise-wide software support becomes a necessary corollary to the software itself, as technical issues and performance errors may inevitably arise during the software's normal operations. For example, a customer may experience technical errors affecting the operations of the current software. In some support solutions, the customer may be required to submit or report the error through a manual process. Upon receiving the error report or notice, the support provider may manually analyze the error, diagnose the problem, and determine the proper solution. Once found, the support provider may relay the solution to the customer, who may then attempt to implement the steps of the provided solution. In some of these situations, such as those involving a customer support phone hotline, the customer generally needs a rudimentary level of knowledge regarding the software to ensure that the dialog between the technical consultant and the customer is clear enough to allow for a successful resolution to the issue.
In other support solutions, a searchable knowledge base may be provided. Thus, when an error occurs, the customer may manually search a listing of provided solution documentation for common errors that may occur within the software application. For more robust software applications, the related knowledge base may include multiple levels of solutions, requiring significant time and effort by customers to find, and then decipher, the correct solution. Even after locating a suitable solution, implementing the steps may be too difficult for customers without advanced knowledge of or access to the application. In some situations, the support provider may offer a help desk where customers may submit a ticket describing an error. The ticket may be reviewed by an employee of the solution provider, who then analyzes the error and attempts to provide solutions.
The set of current support solutions normally require both customers and support providers to manually generate potential solutions. Thus, customer support requires time- and resource-consuming actions. Some errors may occur frequently, giving the support provider the experience necessary to quickly solve the customer's error. Other errors, however, may occur much less frequently, thus prompting the support provider or the customer to spend larger amounts of time searching for relevant solutions.